Simplifying ProTools and mixing essentials

[ndog1980]

Originally Posted by KevWind

I think the Pro Tools for dummies is a great suggestion. or

There is also the Avid PT 101 book and DVD which is very well organized does have all the basics including midi, PT history etc. But you can simply go the chapter or exercise pertinent to what you are doing.
it is here at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Tools-101-Introduction-Learning/dp/1285774841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400343131&sr=8-1&keywords=pro+tools+books

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

*Don't be afraid to learn only what you need to get by and then come back and fill in the gaps later.*

Beyond that, you need two kinds of information:
1. Practical and theoretical recording information, entirely separate from Protools. Stuff like: what is stereo and how and why do I record that way, what is panning, what is EQ, what is reverb, what is delay?
2. Protools operational information.

Here are some resources:
On the really basic level, Guitar Center offers a mentoring program that teaches both recording skills and Protools skills.
Many colleges and junior colleges offer introductory courses in audio and Protools. Perhaps you could audit one.
Up for some light reading? There is a Protools for Dummies book and there is a Home Recording for Dummies book. Both at Musician's Friends.

Also remember, you are smarter than the gear. Just because it is complicated and flexible doesn't make it smart. Your job is to bend it to your purposes. You don't have to become a Protools Jeddi and it sounds like you don't want to be one. Instead, approach the information like a smorgasbord and pick what you need and want.

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Knowing the basic, core information; the frequency response spectrum so you can use EQ more effectively and how compressors and limiters operate (knowing how to use the tools) gets you pretty far.

I remember realizing that subtractive EQ was as important as additive EQ. Boy, that was an AHA! Moment. Instead of adding more highs to a sound to make it brighter, I took away some of the lows. HELLO!

MAN! You guys are awesome. I can already tell that you are saving me MONTHS of struggle. I REALLY appreciate the time and thought that you've put into answering my questions. This is great!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Cheers!

[ndog1980]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

1. Practical and theoretical recording information, entirely separate from Protools. Stuff like: what is stereo and how and why do I record that way, what is panning, what is EQ, what is reverb, what is delay?

Bob - Would you put any other critical concepts to understand on that that list of key recording knowledge?

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by ndog1980

Bob - Would you put any other critical concepts to understand on that that list of key recording knowledge?

Basic acoustics, psychoacoustics, Microphony (choice and application of microphones), monitoring theory, signal processing, mixing practices.

You need to understand what sound is and how it behaves, how we hear, how we record, how we process signals to make them sound good, how we mix and prepare sources for the mix, and how what we hear from monitor speakers manipulates us and the decisions we make when we are recording and mixing.

After those basic understandings and values are gained, it is mostly down to experience and experiences to perfect your skills.

Bob

[KevWind]

One more thought as far as some of over all audio basics Bob and Ty have mentioned "Understanding Audio" by Daniel Thompson is a pretty good overall book, targeted at recording and engineering. It's the one Berklee Collage of Music uses for some it's basic production and engineering courses. I thought it was a pretty good reference

It's on Amazon for $15.99
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-...standing+audio

[ndog1980]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Basic acoustics, psychoacoustics, Microphony (choice and application of microphones), monitoring theory, signal processing, mixing practices.

You need to understand what sound is and how it behaves, how we hear, how we record, how we process signals to make them sound good, how we mix and prepare sources for the mix, and how what we hear from monitor speakers manipulates us and the decisions we make when we are recording and mixing.

After those basic understandings and values are gained, it is mostly down to experience and experiences to perfect your skills.

Bob

Originally Posted by KevWind

One more thought as far as some of over all audio basics Bob and Ty have mentioned "Understanding Audio" by Daniel Thompson is a pretty good overall book, targeted at recording and engineering. It's the one Berklee Collage of Music uses for some it's basic production and engineering courses. I thought it was a pretty good reference

It's on Amazon for $15.99
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-...standing+audio

Once again, thanks for the input guys. This is shaping up to be a very helpful thread. I'll probably just print it for future reference.

Cheers!

[ndog1980]

Hey all. I took the advice that you gave me and created a preliminary "curriculum" for myself to work through over the course of a month or so.

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions on how I could make this program even more effective and streamlined?

Thanks in advance!

1. Create journal for lessons learned
2. Experiment with recording guitars
   • Record in car
   • Record in room
   • Record tracks in stereo
   • Record tracks in mono
   • What is the difference? What am I learning from each? Record in lessons learned.
   • List new questions and make plans to answer them.
3. Watch YouTube videos on basic EQ, compression, and limiting
   • What is EQ? What is compression? What is limiting? What do they do?
   • Experiment with both on best tracks from previous step
   • What are the strengths and weaknesses of each "tool" in sculpting/removing? Record in lessons learned.
   • List new questions and make plans to answer them.
4. Training the ear
   • Take 5 favorite songs, inserting them into DAW, and listen/play with them in your mixing space.
   • What am I learning from this? Answer in lessons learned.
   • List new questions and make plans to answer them.
5. Understand basic recording concepts - look up concepts => define in my own words in lessons learned. List new questions and make plans to answer them after each step.
   • What is stereo and why record that way?
   • What is reverb?
   • What is delay?
   • What is panning?
   • What is the frquency response spectrum?
   • Diff b/t additive and subtractive EQ (add highs vs. subtract lows)
   • List new questions and make plans to answer them.
6. Understand other basic recording concepts - look up concepts => define in my own words in lessons learned. List new questions and make plans to answer them after each step.
   • Basic acoustics? What sound is and how it behaves?
   • Psychoacoustics - how we hear
   • Microphony (choice and application of microphones) - how we record
   • Monitoring theory how what we hear from monitor speakers manipulates us and the decisions we make when we are recording and mixing
   • Signal processing - how we process signals to make them sound good
   • Mixing practices - how we mix and prepare sources for the mix
7. How does this all teach me to arrange the furniture in the mix of the song, spatially? This will be different for each song and even parts of songs. Write a reflection in lessons learned. List new questions and make plans to answer them.
   
8. Check out PT for Dummies, Home Recording for Dummies, and Avid PT 101 at B & N - DO I WANT TO BUY ONE?

[Ty Ford]

Sounds like a plan.

You might add ear training. I know some really good musicians who can record but can't mix because they don't know how to process what they are hearing to make decisions about what you're describing here.

It's almost like they are "color blind" to those mental processes. Bizarre, since they are musicians, but true nonetheless.

If you can't tell what to do when hearing something, all the knowledge in the world can't help you. Maybe a better analogy is language, although that's the other side of the brain. You want to communicate and you speak english, but what you're hearing is french, italian or buntu.

That kind of hearing can be learned to some degree, but it can also be a gift a person is born with. Some people are just mentally wired for sound. I'm sort of in the middle. I was born with gifted hearing and have been very fortunate (I think) to spend a lifetime using it to make sense out of what I hear. I'm so "that way" that if my wife's watching TV and we're in the same room, I can't read a book because the TV audio distracts me from reading. It's not the content of the TV audio, it's just the sound.

Not to dissuade you, all of what you propose is good. Go for it!

Regards,

Ty Ford

[MikeBmusic]

When I started doing mixing, I also started really listening to some of my favorite music in a way that I hadn't done before, payiing attention to how th evarious instruments and voices were EQ'd, panned, etc.
It can help to take some of these songs form others, inserting them into your DAW and listening to them in your mixing space.

[Ty Ford]

That's a great idea, Mike.

My first career was being on the air at free form progressive and rock stations. I spent a lot of time "under the headphones" listening to what I was playing or at home figuring out what I might want to play the next day.

I'm sure I was programmed by everything I heard.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[runamuck]

I've always found most of the manuals and books to be very confusing. They all make wonderful sense once you've figured it out yourself.

If you can find someone locally who is willing to spend a couple hours showing you the basics of Pro Tools, don't pass it up.

So there's the learning you'll need to do to get PT to work for you and that shouldn't take all that much time.

Learning how to record properly and mix intelligently is another matter though - at least it is if you want your stuff to sound professional. People spend years getting good at it and I'm not aware of any shortcuts although if you're talented and have a sensitive ear, you're at 1st base already. You're going to have to learn about EQ, compression, delay and all the rest of it. It takes time so lower your expectations but keep at it.

Jim McCarthy

[sdelsolray]

It took me some time to become proficient in ProTools and related hardware and software, and that was only for solo fingerstyle acoustic guitar. Most of what I needed to learn had nothing to do with ProTools, or to the related hardware and software, but had to do with recording in a general sense.

[ndog1980]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

Most of what I needed to learn had nothing to do with ProTools, or to the related hardware and software, but had to do with recording in a general sense.

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

When I started doing mixing, I also started really listening to some of my favorite music in a way that I hadn't done before, payiing attention to how th evarious instruments and voices were EQ'd, panned, etc.
It can help to take some of these songs form others, inserting them into your DAW and listening to them in your mixing space.

These two ideas and everything else that folks have said have been super helpful. Adding to the plan...

[ndog1980]

Just thought I'd throw this out there again. Based on the responses in this thread, I've created a learning "blueprint" for PT/mixing essentials. If anyone else wants to comment, here's a link to the plan: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...4&postcount=21. Cheers!

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by ndog1980

Just thought I'd throw this out there again. Based on the responses in this thread, I've created a learning "blueprint" for PT/mixing essentials. If anyone else wants to comment, here's a link to the plan: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...4&postcount=21. Cheers!

This is a great idea and a great outline ndog. I hope folks that need a guideline take a moment to see things fanned out in front of them. Thanks for the effort!

A+ stuff.

[ndog1980]

Yeah. Just trying to make it easy on myself (or LESS hard than it has to be). I hope there are some folks on this forum that can benefit from this outline. I'll continue to update it as I get more info and as I work through it. Cheers!